News & Events

Tangmere 39

Saturday, 1 August, 2009

The Museum’s major Special Event of the year which was held on Sunday July 19th, has been judged a great success. Tangmere 39 celebrated the 70th anniversary of the start of WW2 and RAF Tangmere’s important role as Over 650 visitors attended on the day, comfortably beating last year’s total despite the showers during the morning.

Our grateful thanks to Stephen Kennedy who attended on the day and provided many pictures, a selection of which we have put together to tell the story of the day. You can view them here.

The wide range of attractions included:
• Flying Display – Dragon Rapide, Chipmunk and Harvard all displaying overhead
• Open cockpits – a chance to sit in the pilot’s seat of several of the Museum’s aircraft
• Flight simulators – ever popular and in constant use
• Grand Draw – with great prizes including a ride in a Harvard, Free trial flying lessons and the chance to drive an Aston Martin DB4
• Live music – the pleasant sounds of ‘Play it Again Sam’ performing songs of the period
• Stalls – selling all manner of items from books to models
• Period costume – people in the costume of the period and a very realistic re-enactment of an air raid plotting table
• Art exhibition – over 55 original aviation paintings done by local artists
• Drill displays – by the ATC cadets plus a hilarious chance to join in for the public
• All the Museum’s normal attractions

A display by the RAF Battle of Britain Flight’s Hawker Hurricane had also been scheduled and was to be the star feature of the flying display but unfortunately this had to be cancelled due to the crosswinds at its point of departure being above operational limits. Sadly the display by the Tiger Moth also had to be cancelled for the same reason.